The Daily Brado 2/13/2019

1: Trump’s Approval Ratings Rise 7-Points Post Shut Down

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings jumped 7 points in January to 44% after he agreed to re-open the government last month, a Gallup poll found.

Gallup attributes the rise to an increase in approval ratings among independents and Republicans.

Republicans overwhelmingly approve of the president with 89% saying they approve of his job performance. Meanwhile, only 5% of Democrats say they approve of Trump’s job performance.

2: Bridgegate Defendant Appeals Conviction to Supreme Court

A former aide to then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will appeal her Bridgegate conviction to the Supreme Court.

Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), plans to appeal to the high court after she failed to obtain a hearing with the U.S. Court of Appeals Third Circuit in Philadelphia.

Kelly and other aides were convicted in 2016 for their orchestration of the politically motivated closure of three lanes of the George Washington Bridge to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Gov. Christie’s re-election bid.

Kelly was sentenced to 18 months in prison for wire fraud and conspiracy charges.

3: Bloomberg Prepares To Spend $500 Million To Defeat Trump

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomblerg plans to spend at least $500 million to stop President Trump from winning his re-election campaign, Politico reports.

Sources close to Bloomberg told Politico that Bloomberg plans to spend the money on either his own campaign or supporting whoever the Democratic nominee for president is:

If Bloomberg declines to seek the presidency, his intention is to run an unprecedented data-heavy campaign designed to operate as a shadow political party for the eventual Democratic nominee.

-Politico report

Bloomblerg reported has a “Plan A” which entails him running for president, and a “Plan B” which entails him spending the $500 million on the Democratic nominee and sharing as much data with the nominee and the Democratic National Committee as possible.

4: 36 NYS Legislators Send Letter to DHS Secretary Nielsen

Members of the New York State Assembly sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Security Kirstjen Nielsen urging her to role back the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) arrests in courthouses across the state, the Albany Times Union reports.

The legislators said that ICE agents have largely ignored an ICE policy directing them to avoid arrest in or near courthouses with non-criminal proceedings.

A recent study found that ICE arrests in courthouses around the state have risen 1,700% since 2016.